Before studying abroad in Amman, Jordan in the fall of 2012, my last moments in the United States were spent at the McDonald’s in the Pittsburgh International Airport. Now I am not a big fast food person, but I felt like I needed to absorb as much American culture as I could before leaving the country.

While roller coasters started off slow (and made of wood) in 1885, things have changed over the last century or so. From inversions to drops to zero force to floorless coasters, the roller coasters of today definitely provide thrills, induce screams, and make us want to go back for more. Here are some amazing twisty (inversion) roller coasters in the US.

I give the okay signal and roll back off the boat; the water engulfs me. Submerging below the ocean surface, I become one with the sea. With slow steady strokes from my fins pushing me forward, and the loud reassuring sound of the dive regulator filling my lungs with oxygen, I am able to take in all of the reef’s ecosystem.